


Apartment 2B

by plumeriafairy14



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bartender Keith, Blaytz's Galra BF from canon is here, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love Again, I'm making this up as I go, I'm writing this on the seat of my pants guys, Implied Smut, Keith and Lance learning to navigate through love again, Keith plays the guitar and he performs on Accoustic Wednesdays, Lovers to strangers to friends to lovers again, M/M, Modern Setting, Neighbor exes AU, Romance, Second Chances, Shiro is a single dad, break ups, game dev lance, klance, self indulgent fic, side shallura, soft core foreplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-14 03:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14126658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeriafairy14/pseuds/plumeriafairy14
Summary: There is a saying; 'Don't run back to what broke you', but what if love comes knocking, asking for another chance?Keith broke up with Lance back in college. Now, seven years later, Lance moves into an apartment building after he got hired as a game developer for Altea Games Inc.Guess who lives across the hall?(Or, also known as the Neighbor Exes AU)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just winging it.

 

Prologue

 

_“We should break up.”_

_The words hit Lance like a truck. He felt his heart smash to pieces as he absorbed that phrase from the raven haired young man who stood in front of him. Keith’s violet eyes bore into Lance’s blue ones devoid of emotion._

_“What?” Lance managed to blurt out.  He had no control of the emotions that broke loose; confusion, anger, sadness, shock. “WHY?”_

_Keith looked hesitant and he tore his gaze away to focus on the far corner of the university’s football field. “You knew this was where we’re headed, Lance. It’s not working out anymore.”_

_“How?!” Lance wanted to say more but his mind was so scrambled that he can only produce single words that were heavily laden with emotion._

_“I just…” Keith was faltering. “…You’re moving so fast, Lance. You’re suddenly telling me about your future plans with us and I just can’t keep up with that.”_

_“It’s because I see a future with you!” Tears filled Lance’s eyes._

_“Jesus, Lance, we’re just in college! I’m not ready for a commitment like that!”_

_“Then why are we even dating if that’s not the end goal?” Lance demanded angrily. “What is it that you want, Keith?! What were we?! What am **I** to you?!”_

_“I don’t know what I want, Lance!” Keith yelled back. “We’re dating… We’re dating because...Because!”_

_Lance pursed his lips into a thin, hard line. He just looked at Keith with accusation in his eyes before he finally pushed the words out. “Is there someone else?”_

_“No.” Keith replied, equally serious. Lance felt his heart break further because those violet eyes that were once looked at him adoringly whenever he gazed in them were now empty. “I just can’t do this anymore. I don’t feel the same.”_

_“I thought you loved me, Keith.”_

_“I thought I did too, Lance.” Keith paused and swallowed, the movement slow in Lance’s point of view just like how the whole world suddenly stopped and turned cold. “I can’t give you what you want. I’m sorry.” With that, Keith turned and wordlessly walked away, leaving Lance while he crumbled to pieces like ash in the wind._


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a habit, I'm going to throw in the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy the awkwardness! Please let me know what you think! :)

Chapter 1

**7 years later**

“Thank for helping me move in, bro.” Lance huffed while he moved the couch that Hunk was helping him position in the living room of his new apartment. There was a hard thump when the two of them dropped the heavy piece of furniture almost at the same time.

“No, problem!” Hunk grinned. “I’m just really excited that the two of us will be working in the same city. We missed you a lot!”

“Aw, you’re making me blush.” Lance gave a soft ‘awww’ before he went to carry one of the boxes that were set by the door and placed it at the foot of the couch. He pulled out the box cutter that was tucked into his pocket and sliced through the tape. He recently moved to live in the same city where his best friends did after he was lucky enough to land a job in a well-known video company as a part of the development team. For someone who loved video games since childhood, Lance hit gold in the mine with this job because it was like a dream come true.

“I’m back!” Pidge’s muffled words filled the room when she pushed the door with her shoulder because both hands were occupied with carrying the grocery bags. She placed down the load she carried and shoved the receipt into her pants pocket. “Got some food so we don’t starve and result to cannibalism.”

“Oh thank god!” Hunk groaned and plopped down on the couch after he grabbed a bag of chips and tore it open. “Pidge, you’re a life saver! I was this close to grilling Lance’s liver.”

“I hate to burst your bubble but I don’t have a grill.” Lance retorted smugly. He sat beside Pidge who also made herself home on the couch. Comfortable silence fell between them with only the song playing from Lance’s phone that was connected to a Bluetooth speaker at the other side of the small living room.

“I’m glad we can all hang out again.” Hunk sighed with a content smile. “We really missed you after you went back to Cuba, Lance.”

“It was nice to take it easy back home at my grandparents’ place but my life is here.” Lance admitted while he thought back to the few years he stayed in Cuba after he graduated from college. He helped his brother, Luis, take care of their sick grandfather. All the while there, Lance had an IT job at a small company and part timed in a farm during weekends to help out with the funds at home. But after his grandfather passed away, he decided to go back to the States to pursue his dream.

“Well, you didn’t really miss much.” Pidge piped in this time after she took a gulp from her Coke can while the other hand scrolled through her phone. “We all got jobs and we’re all just trying to make it through like everybody else. I got a job as a research assistant and Hunk here became an engineer.”

“And a chef on my off-days.” Hunk added helpfully with a proud smile. Engineering might be his forte but his passion was rooted in being a culinary genius.

“For the overworked and the underpaid.” Pidge raised her can to propose a toast and Lance and Hunk clinked theirs all together.

“Lance will be joining the ranks soon, huh, buddy?” Pidge quirked a brow at him and Lance leaned back with a shrug.

“I’m pretty sure the workload will be hell. This kind of industry doesn’t fuck around.” He paused to take a sip on his Coke. “But this is my dream so I can deal with it.”

The day dragged on and the three of them managed to arrange almost half of Lance’s stuff. Pidge helped Lance set up his computer station while Hunk wired the place with wifi. They finished just when the sun was already setting. Deciding to call it a day, Lance walked his friends to the common entrance of the apartment building.

“You’re gonna be fine?” Pidge asked.

“Of course, I am.” Lance snorted. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“A pipe bursts and your stuff gets wet, a meteor falls from the sky and hits your apartment, your ex-boyfriend shows up.” Hunk enumerated, each lifting a finger to count each option. Pidge snickered while Lance rolled his eyes.

“This building is fairly new. NASA didn’t report any asteroids near-by, and that’s impossible; my exes are probably all rotting in a ditch somewhere.”

Pidge patted Lance on the shoulder with a thoughtful nod. “You should stop dating douche bags, man.”

“I’m not. I just have terrible luck.”

“Nah, don’t say that!” Hunk spun his car keys idly around his finger while the three of them walked to his car. Lance stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets while he watched the two get in the vehicle. “We’ll see you this weekend, right?”

“Right.” Lance nodded. “We got most of my stuff out and I can do the rest by myself. Thanks for helping me out, guys.”

“Yeah, you owe us dinner—ow! Hunk!” Pidge hissed when Hunk elbowed her on the arm. Lance just rolled his eyes; classic Pidge.

“We’re more than happy to help, buddy, don’t worry about it!”

“Hey, dinner’s on me on my first paycheck, how’s that?” Lance shrugged. He didn’t mind; he missed these two and they helped him so much from finding an apartment to moving in.

“Sweet!” Pidge hooted from the shotgun seat. She stuck her head out the window and grinned at Lance, her eyes shining bright and mischievous from behind her glasses. “Swear on it, man.”

Lance drew an invisible cross over his heart just like how he always did when the three of them were younger. He’s known Hunk and Pidge since college and even if they all had different majors, their friendship still managed to work out. He waved while he watched his friends drive away and Lance decided to grab dinner at a nearby diner that he spotted not far from where he lived.

Truth be told, Lance was exhausted. He had been unpacking and trying to get his new place into something that was at the very least, habitable. If he could help it, he would just crash on the couch and pass out but he remembered that his mother hated it whenever he would skip meals. So when Lance can help it, he’d eat. Except back in college; his poor mother doesn’t have to know about his eating habits back then or else she would cry.

After paying for the take out ham and cheese sub that he bought, Lance stepped out of the diner and started to make his trip back home. The hallway of the floor where he lived was quiet; his footsteps echoed through the hardwood floors while he caught slight sounds from each door that he passed by. One door had laughing children behind it while another played some 60’s jazz. However, Lance’s neighbor who lived across the hall still remained a mystery.

His hand dove into his pants pocket and started to rummage through to fish out his keys. The jingle was loud throughout the empty hallway while he slotted it into the keyhole. He was about to turn it when he heard shuffling from behind the door across his unit.

Ah, so his front neighbor won’t be a mystery any longer. Lance paused on his own task and looked over his shoulder to stare at the metal characters nailed to the door that read ‘2B’. The shuffling was followed by heavy footsteps and keys jingling. Lance put on his best smile and prepared to greet his new neighbor to introduce himself. He fucking hoped that this neighbor wasn’t an asshole.

The door opened and Lance didn’t waste any time.

“Hey, neighbor!” he greeted. “I’m new around here. The name’s-“

“Lance?”

It was the whole world stopped when Lance’s eyes locked with deep violet eyes that he never thought he would look into again. The raven mop was shorter than it was back in college but it was still the same mullet that was tied up into a half ponytail.

“Oh,” Lance forced the word out but his throat felt like a desert cactus and his heart blindly rammed itself against Lance’s ribcage. “Hey, Keith. You uh… it’s been years, man. How are you?”

“I’m doing okay.” Keith replied and he closed his door without looking at it, the lock automatically clicking into place. “I’m on my way to work. Did you just moved in?”

Lance nodded jerkily but he fought heaven and hell to act cool. It’s been seven years, he was over Keith. But something deep inside stirred into life; anxiety? Most probably. He was neighbors with his ex after all. “This morning. I guess you were still asleep.”

“Pretty much.” Keith replied. Lance noticed some changes; Keith seemed taller than when they last saw each other but he still triumphed a good inch over the other guy. Keith also built some muscle that was outlined against the plain white shirt underneath the worn leather jacket he wore. “I mostly sleep during the day.”

“What do you do?” Lance found himself asking in an attempt to start a good natured conversation but God help him, he was sweating a damn oasis. It was a good thing that he was a master in acting cool, or so he hoped.

Keith quickly glanced at his wrist watch and Lance pursed his lips into a thin line at the impatient gesture. So, this guy still had a sort of rudeness in him. It seemed like some things never changed.

“My friend owns a bar.” Keith replied when his gaze flicked up from his watch to Lance. “I do the drinks.”

“Oh cool.”

“Thanks.” Keith gestured with a single nod. “Well, welcome to the neighborhood, Lance. See ‘ya around.”  He flashed a quick smile before he strode away, obviously in a hurry and Lance couldn’t help that it was his fault that Keith was running late.

Lance didn’t even wait to see Keith disappear down the staircase when he pushed his own door opened and hurriedly closed it, jamming the double locks into place. He pressed his back against the door and stared wide eyed at the stacks of boxes and stuff that littered the floor. Living in the same building as Keith Kogane, his infamous ex-boyfriend from college is going to be awkward as fuck. But it won’t be if he just ignored their past and treated the other guy like a regular neighbor.

Going to the kitchenette, Lance placed the plastic bag of food on the table that Hunk had helped him put together earlier today so that he can pull out his phone and hit the three-way speed dial.

Hunk and Pidge picked up almost at the same time in confusion.

“Guys,” Lance gulped and cleared his throat so he can push back the shock. “You’re not going to believe this.” He took a deep breath and dropped his voice into a whisper, anxious as if Keith could hear the conversation. “Do you remember my ex from college? No, Hunk, not Jenny Shaybon. Come on, man, we agreed never to speak of her again! I mean, this one… _that_ one; Keith Kogane- yeah, Pidge, the moody guy with the mullet who fucked me over.”

Lance walked to the sink and peered out on the empty parking as if some serial killer was watching him from under the flickering light of the lamp post. “He’s not rotting in a ditch somewhere. He’s my front-door neighbor.”


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all that damn coupon's fault. 
> 
> But hey, it's free and free stuff is good, right? What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much love for the premier chapters??!! Thank you so much! Here's the second chapter and I hope that you all enjoy reading it!
> 
> Man, I wish Blaytz and Allura were my bosses.

Chapter 2

Lance hasn’t seen Keith since he first moved. The wonderful little welcome basket of being neighbors with his ex was a little bit too hard to swallow at first but Lance was able to come into terms with it. Besides, with Keith working at night and being asleep during the day, the chance of Lance bumping into him was as rare as a cryptid because of their schedules.

The past few days gave Lance ample time to settle in. His place didn’t look like a pigsty anymore after he cleaned up and put his stuff in the shelves and his clothes in the closet. Hunk and Pidge came by again to help put together some IKEA storages and to show Lance around town.

Now, Lance stood in front of his dresser mirror while he smoothed a casual polo shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and the first button undone. He admit that it wasn’t really his style and he felt like he looked like a complete goody greenhorn, but it was the safest option to wear until Lance got a feel of the company culture of his new work place.

“Alright,” Lance huffed as he smoothed back his brown hair and the tips of his fingers brushed against his rough new undercut. “Lance Delgado, you are one brilliant, handsome man. You are going to rock it out in this job. This is it, this is your dream. Now go out there and develop some games to liven up the lives of other people!”

Lance’s reflection winked back at him when he did and he slung his bag across his torso. He took his keys from the fishbowl of sea glass and quarters by the coffee table and exited his apartment. He took a few seconds to lock up before he went off to the elevator and pressed the down button. Normally, he would’ve taken the stairs but he didn’t want to wrinkle his fresh clothes for his first day of work. It took a lot of stairs since he lived at the fourth floor.

The elevator dinged and the doors parted.

Keith was inside.

“Oh, hey, ‘mornin.” Lance blurted out when Keith’s brows slightly quirked up when their eyes met. “Home from work?”

“Yeah. The night dragged on like a bitch.” Keith didn’t sound too lively and he suppressed a yawn. However, Lance spied a hickey peeking out of his wrinkled collar. Lance wanted to roll his eyes; yeah, right. 

Those violet eyes ran up and down to study Lance’s clothes. “First day? I never got to ask what you do.”

“Yep.” Lance nodded a little bit too eagerly, tearing his eyes away from the love mark on Keith’s neck before Keith noticed that he was ogling. “I got a job at Altea Games as a dev.”

“Nice.” Keith stepped out after he pressed the ‘hold’ button to keep the doors open for Lance. The moment he did, Lance stepped in the elevator car in a smooth exchange. “Well, good luck.”

“Thanks, man.” Lance nodded and his tone was polite and civil. He was actually proud of himself that he didn’t make an ass out of himself. He didn’t feel the need to; he felt nothing for Keith anymore. Lance pressed the ‘G’ button to descend to the lobby and the doors started to close but suddenly, there was a rattling sound when Keith thrust his arm through the closing gap and pushed one door aside.

Lance was taken back when the doors automatically opened.

“Hey,” even Keith looked as if he, too, was bewildered by what he just did. “hold on.” Keith took a moment to pull out a coupon from his pocket. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Lance took the coupon. It was a bit crumpled and the left corner was ripped but the expiration date wasn’t until the end of the month. The bold letterings were stark silver against the dark gloss paper that read; The Black Lion.

“That’s the place where I work.” Keith replied. “First drink is free. Your choice.” He shrugged but Lance saw the ghost of a smile playing on Keith’s lips. “I never really got to welcome you to the neighborhood when you first came in and congrats on the job, by the way.”

Lance stared at the Keith. “Wow, thanks, Keith.”

“It’s nothing.” Keith nodded and the ghost of a smile actually turned into a friendly one. Lance couldn’t look away until the elevators started to close. “Have a good day, Lance.”

The doors pressed shut, leaving Lance to stare at his bewildered reflection on the polished metal.

~

Altea Games HQ was a decent sized building that didn’t look like a boring office space. It wasn’t a big company but they have managed through with the unique games that gained popularity over the years. There were play areas that some of the staff occupied to take a break from their work. Lance stared like a wide-eyed kid; he was actually going to work for a gaming company whose games he grew up playing.

“Hey, are you the new guy?” a female voice interrupted from behind him and he felt a tap on his shoulder. When she turned around, Lance came face to face with a beautiful woman with ice blue hair. Her eyes were deep lake blue and she sported a casual ‘Mermaids are Real’ shirt underneath a cardigan, jeans, and ankle high boots.

“Did my outfit give that away?” Lance managed to crack an embarrassed smile.

“Nah, it’s the smell of fear. Trust me, I can smell you from the third floor.” The woman thrust out a hand to offer a handshake. “My name is Plaxum. I’m one of the art devs. Where are you assigned?”

“I’m Lance.” Lance shook her hand professionally before letting go. “And I have no idea yet. I need to speak with the boss, I think.”

“Oh, Allura.”

“Allura?”

Plaxum nodded “Yeah, her family owns this place.” She gestured for him to follow her. “Come on, I’ll show you to her office.”

Lance expected Ms. Allura Altea to have a carefree sense of fashion like Plaxum but when he stepped inside her office, he was greeted by a gorgeous woman with snow white hair that was a stark contrast to her dark skin. She wore more professional clothes than the rest of the people that Lance passed by outside. Her eyes were an ethereal blue tinged with lilac and were framed by thin metal rimmed glasses.

“Allura, the new guy’s here.” Plaxum knocked on the door frame and Allura looked up from her task to smile at Lance.

Lance stared until Pluxum elbowed him.

“Good morning, ma’am.” Lance blurted out and immediately offered a hand to Allura. “I’m Lance Delgado. I’m a huge fan of your company! I’ve been playing your games since I was a kid so it’s a total dream to be working for you.”

Allura shook Lance’s hand and let go while she absorbed the formality and from beside him Lance heard Plaxum whisper to her.

“I found him staring at the game room like the consoles were spewing out candy.”

Lance felt himself flush but he mustered to smile. “I’m guilty; this place looks amazing.”

“Why, thank you, Lance.” Allura smiled and it was so striking. “I’m glad to know that such a dedicated fan as you decided to join our team. The games you played when you were younger were most likely produced by my father. I recently just took over after him.” Allura gestured towards the rooms outside her office. “Now, why don’t I introduce you to your assigned team?”

Hours later, Lance found himself sitting in front a really neat looking high powered computer station. Incidentally, he was put in the same dev team as Plaxum who introduced him to other members of the team; Rolo, who handled programming, Nyma, who was an art dev like Plaxum, their team writer, Narti, and their senior team leader and head dev, Blaytz.

Lance’s station was right in the middle of Rolo’s and Narti’s. Everyone’s been very welcoming of Lance which calmed some of his anxiety.

“You take it easy and get settled in, Lance.” Blaytz patted him on the shoulder when he passed by his station. Lance’s boss was a cool guy and the whole place gave off an atmosphere of ‘everyone-knows-everyone’ vibe. There were some rude people but Lance got the feeling of the good ones outnumbering the former.

“Thank you, sir.” Lance said and beside him, Rolo snorted back a laugh.

“You’re so formal, man.” Rolo swiveled on his chair to face him. “Chill out.”

“Yeah, ‘sir’ makes me look old.” Blaytz pursed his lips together. “He reached up to comb his fingers through his spiky hair with two red streaks on either side. “I mean, am I thinning, Narti?”

Narti, who sat on Lance’s right, paused from typing and removed one of the earbuds that were slotted in her ears from underneath the hijab she wore. When she lifted her head, Lance caught a glimpse of her empty gaze.

When he was introduced to the team and the team to him, he was told that Narti was born without the ability to see or speak but she can hear. However, Lance admired her because even if she lacked some senses, that didn’t stop her from becoming one of the best writers for the company.

Narti motioned for Blaytz to bend down and she reached to run her fingers carefully through his hair before she patted the top of his head.

She then signed something and Nyma burst out laughing from her corner while Blaytz sighed a little bit too dramatically but the smirk he wore told Lance that he was just playing along.

“What did she say?” Lance asked with a confused smile.

“She said; ‘You’re getting there, old man.’” Nyma said while Narti nodded.

Lance raised his brows, being taken back by such a casual interaction with their superior. In his past jobs, his bosses had always been strict, often demanding respect instead of earning it. However, he chuckled along since he didn’t feel like Blaytz didn’t felt offended at all. In fact, the man was booming with laughter.

 “Alright, alright, that was bad but I’ve heard worse.” Blaytz said. “You all help Lance get settled in and we’ll have a team meeting this afternoon about the character we’ll be developing for Space Explorers: Atlas. Then dinner’s on me tonight to welcome Lance to the team, sounds good?”

There were collective optimistic hoots in the room but Lance was star struck. Hearing his favorite game series made his heart leap with joy. He was going to work on developing a character for it, he was living the dream. But then he remembered the coupon in his pocket. He was hesitant at first but there was no harm in it, right? It might even be good for the local food industry.

“Do you guys know this place called the Black Lion?” Lance asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Blaytz exclaimed, suddenly excited. “My partner works there! Let’s go there tonight ‘ayt? Their dynamite ribs are AMAZING!”

Lance didn’t know why but it suddenly became too hard to breathe.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *puffs in inhaler* H-Hickey...


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mint mojitos and jellies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY SO, HERE YOU GO.

Chapter 3

Keith locked his door behind him and came face to face with the closed door that was across the hall from him. It sure was a lovely fucking surprise that Lance just had to pick this building out of all the buildings in the city, to live.

And ended up neighbors with Keith.

Sure, their rocky past set an awkward present for them but Lance acted pretty normal to him which saves him trouble from the potential of a batshit ex. He was actually surprised that Lance didn’t turn into an emotional mess or a snobbish prick.

Heaving a deep sigh, Keith habitually glanced at his watch and saw that he was still early for work and glanced at the apartment unit across him again. Since Lance moved in, Keith had taken in the  little details that came along with it; Chancing Lance by the stairs or the elevator when he came home while the other was heading to work, whistling during weekend afternoons, soft thumps followed by blue streaked cursing in Spanish whenever Lance lost while playing with his PS4, and the delectable aroma whenever he made his favorite garlic knots.

Just like before.

Heading out, Keith didn’t linger. Lance’s business wasn’t his to notice; shit ended between them seven years ago and now he’s just some other guy who lived across the hall. Keith walked to the parking lot where a beat up Toyota Corolla was parked. It was an old bucket of bolts but it got Keith where he needed to go. He has dreams of owning a motorcycle someday but saving up for one with his salary as a bar tender at Shiro’s bar along with bills, rent, and a college loan that was being paid off at a snail’s pace for a degree he never got to use because he dropped out, that’s not happening any time soon.

He was a simple guy; a job that pays the bills, puts a roof over his head and food in his stomach is enough in this shitty economy.

The drive to the Black Lion that was located down town took about another fifteen minutes, sometimes, an hour when traffic was bad. Keith parked behind the bar and got out.

“’Hey, there, Black Parade.” The first one to greet Keith when he entered the back door that led to the kitchen was his co-worker, Regris. Keith liked Regris; they both manned the bar and they’ve been working together for months which made them pretty efficient with the drinks. Keith and Regris were both on the same wavelength with their taste in music and love for cryptids.

“Hey.” Keith nodded while he put his bag in his designated locker. On the corner of his eye, he spotted Regris watching him while idly drying the glass he was holding.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Keith snorted. “I wish I got some proper sleep.”

“Your insomnia sure is getting bad.” Regris pointed out.  “You should get it checked out.”

“I won’t die from lack sleep.”

“Uh, actually, you can. Studies show that---”

“I’ll be fine.” Keith pulled off his jacket and draped it on the single clothes hanger in his locker. He then slipped on his black work vest and proceeded to fold his shirt sleeves up to his elbows so that they didn’t get in the way while he worked.

Keith proceeded in prepping the glasses for tonight’s opening when their boss walked in.

“How’s it going back here?” Shiro walked in while he wiped his hands with a dish towel. The staff surely adored their boss because even if Shiro was the owner of the place, he still got involved in running it instead of lounging behind a desk in his office or gloating while he mingled with patrons. However, Keith knew more about the man behind the smile. Shiro was a retired veteran and he had seen a lot of horrors in the war zone but he still managed to put on a bright smile. The metallic fingers on Shiro’s prosthetic arm twitched and Keith caught the movement with his eyes.

“You’re late, boss.” Keith smirked. He and Shiro went way back to high school as Shiro being his upperclassman, only to get separated during college and a couple of more years after that while Shiro served the country. Keith also owed Shiro big time for letting him have a job here.

“I had to wait for Airiah’s baby sitter to arrive.” Shiro replied and tossed the towel into a hamper. “Ezor got caught in traffic.”

“How’s my goddaughter?” Keith asked. “I hope she’s kicking ass like I taught her.”

“She’s having a great time in kindergarten.” Walking to the cupboards, Shiro started to take down the stacks of plates. His eyes always twinkled and they crinkled at the corners whenever the topic of his daughter came up. It’s amazing how Shiro can balance being a single dad and run a business at the same time but Keith guessed that his daughter’s love helps in keeping him sane.

“I hope the teacher hasn’t called you in yet.” Regris teased. “Once you do, I think we both know whose fault that is.” He winked at Keith.

“Hey, hey… cool it; I’m a good citizen and an extraordinary example.” Keith rolled his eyes when Regris snorted in disbelief.

“Whatever you say, Kogane.” Regris shrugged and gestured out as he made his way to the kitchen with the rack of glasses. “I’m going to see if I can score some fries.”

“Kolivan will cut off your hand.” The burly chef ruled the kitchens and his word was law in there. Heading to the opposite side of the door, Keith pulled out a bottle of tequila and a carton of fruit punch to restock the liquor shelves out at the bar.

“Not if he asks Clyus nicely.” Shiro said helpfully at the mention of Kolivan’s second in command. He nodded at Regris; “Go on but don’t drag on; we open in thirty minutes.”

“Roger!” Regris disappeared and Keith wordlessly minded his business. He tried to keep his mind off the lack of sleep that he had.

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked and Keith felt his warm presence standing behind him.

“Yeah.” Keith stifled a yawn.

“You haven’t been sleeping well lately. Is something wrong?”

“Nah.”

Silence fell between them but it was the comfortable kind and Keith didn’t feel the need to further the conversation but Shiro did; “So, you said that someone moved in the apartment across yours. I hope they’re not the reason you’re not getting any sleep.”

Keith paused in placing the jiggers in the rack carrier. “Maybe, maybe not.”

“Do you know them?” Shiro quirked a brow at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Uh…” Keith cleared his throat and shook his head. “He’s no one important but yeah, I know him.”

“I hope it’s not someone you owe money to.” Shiro guessed and Keith wanted to snort back a sardonic laugh. He managed to make a sound and he shook his head. “It’s my ex from college.” But before Shiro could speak, Keith immediately capped off the subject. “I broke up with him back then.”

“Why?”

Here it was; the question Keith expected. The thing was with Shiro, he was Keith’s boss on these floors and under the roof of this establishment. But when they’re alone in here, they were the best friends that they always were.

Keith shrugged; “He was moving too fast. I didn’t want that kind of commitment. I wanted to travel back then and focus on my music, y’know?” So much for that one working out; but Keith didn’t find the break he was dreaming of.

 “That must be so awkward.” Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “But it’s been years, Keith. I’m sure that guy moved on and so did you.”

“Me? Move on?” Keith scoffed. “Shiro, there was nothing to begin with, man.”

~

Hours later, Keith was working the bar with Regris, making and serving drinks to some regular patrons. The place was decent; spacious with tables for big groups or single booths for those who preferred to dine alone. There was a play area with a couple of vintage arcade machines and a few huge flat screen TV that hung on the walls that showed sports while some showed the news or a movie. The Black Lion had something for everyone. But in the bar that Keith manned, he demanded an ID when a customer looked questionable in terms of age. Gotta play it by protocol, after all.

As the evening pushed into night, more people came in and Keith kept the drinks pouring for the regular patrons. At a little past eight, the doors opened and a group of six people strolled in merrily. Keith was busy making a tequila sunrise for a woman who was waiting for her order when Regris piped in a standard;

“Hey, welcome to the Black Lio—Whoah, hey, Blaytz! ‘Ya here to see your honey?”

“I wouldn’t want to disturb Clyus, Reggie.” Blaytz replied with a smug smile as he led the group that stood beside him. “I’m treating my team tonight to welcome the new guy. This here’s Lance.”

Keith paused and slowly, he lifted his gaze towards Blaytz’s group. He saw Lance chatting excitedly with a blue haired woman until the other’s eyes met his. Pausing, Lance nodded once to acknowledge him and Keith found himself throwing a slight nod back with a generic smile before he went back to chatting merrily with the woman.

“Does he know you’re coming?” Regris asked while he placed a newly polished jigger in the rack under the marble counter.

“No,” Blaytz shook his head. “this was pretty sudden.”

“I think he’ll be stoked to see you!”

Just as expected, Clyus was happy to see that Blaytz dropped by to eat at the pub. Fortunately, Kolivan was too busy and Cly snuck out some extra breadsticks and a free plate of tater tots with the pub’s special secret recipe dip. Keith carried on with work without trouble.

But then, he approached.

“Hey, Keith.”

Keith looked up from his task. “Hey, Lance. What can I get you?”

Lance leaned against the counter on one elbow while he handed the free drink coupon to him between his fingers. Keith stared at the coupon that Lance handed over until his gaze trailed to Lance himself. He certainly looked good; added some lean muscle here and there, his hairstyle certainly took a turn from the brown unkempt mop it was back in college to a sleek spread over a sharp undercut. And his face certainly got some nice angles over the years. But those blue eyes were the same as Keith remembered them; striking.

“Can I claim this?”

“You sure didn’t waste time using this.” Keith forced himself to look at the coupon being held out and took the piece of paper. “What would you like?”

Humming while he decided, Lance browsed the menu card on the counter. “How about a mojito? Oh, and could you put in one of those cute umbrellas?”

“Sure. One mojito with a cute umbrella coming right up.” Keith immediately got to work. His hands worked efficiently with the bottles and the shaker. He could feel Lance’s eyes watching him from the other side of the counter and Keith flipped the shaker in the air before catching it, popped the lid off, and poured it in a glass of ice and chopped mint leaves.

What the fuck, why was he showing off all of a sudden?

Lance whistled in awe. “Nice. Who taught you that?”

“Youtube, a couple of classes and a shit ton of trial and errors.” Keith replied and he slid the glass towards Lance. “Here you go.” He poked in a little red umbrella just as Lance requested.

“Thanks.” Lance took the drink and took an experimental sip. “Hm, not bad.”

“Good to know.”

Keith watched Lance enjoy his drink at the corner of his eye while he kept away the bottles and the shaker he used to clear his workspace.

“So, how are y-“ Keith was about to start a conversation but he was interrupted;

“Lance!” The blue haired woman Lance was merrily interacting with earlier walked up from behind. She was holding a fresh plate of fish and chips. “I got Narti’s order. Did you get your drink? Come on, Rolo’s gonna eat all the ribs!”

“Aw, hall naw!” Lance feigned shock and the woman burst laughing while he cracked a bright grin and mischief glittered in his eyes. He then turned to Keith and slightly raised his glass at him. “Good drink, Keith. Thanks again!” he slightly raised his voice over the pub’s noise at the later words while the woman dragged him off a little bit too enthusiastically in Keith’s point of view.

Lance’s companion said something to him and he laughed brightly, lighting the whole place up, but Keith’s chest squeezed. Shaking his head to knock himself back to the reality of things; it’s good to see that Lance is doing well but for some reason, what he saw didn’t really sit well with him. Keith huffed; looks like he would have to call up Lotor up later to ask if he’s free. He needed to get laid and loosen up with some rough bed action.

 _‘There was nothing to begin with.’_ Keith repeated the words he said to Shiro earlier. Keith was stressed from the long shifts that he’s been having lately. However, he refused to admit it that he also needed to forget that smile that lit up the whole damn pub.

And the whistling in the hallway.

And the Spanish curses while playing the PS4.

And the smell of garlic knots during warm evenings.

And basically, the fact that his ex-boyfriend lived across the hall from him.

Keith snuck a glance at Lance’s table. Blaytz said something and Lance snorted, choking on his drink. The woman patted his back while he coughed and but then she reached out with a napkin and used it to wipe Lance’s mouth with.

Lance whispered something in her ear.

She laughed.

Keith’s grip almost cracked the glass he pulled out for the next customer. 

 


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A song is the reflection of the heart. 
> 
> Singing Keith. Blushing Lance. Shiro knows what's up while Pidge and Hunk think this is a bad idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Incoherent screaming* That is all. 
> 
> Links to the songs: [Wonderwall - Oasis (Cover by Alex Goot)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXjrbhr2mIU)  
> [Baby Blue Eyes by A Rocket to the Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awbwJlQVMaE)

Chapter 4

Altea Games allowed the employees to pick a day of the week were they can work at home as long as they send in their assignments at the end of the day. Lance picked Wednesday. He could have picked Friday so that it connected to the weekend but he realized that it didn’t really matter since he sometimes gets called in to run program codes on Saturdays. He might as well spread his rest days off so that he didn’t binge all the stress.

Last week had been pretty easy for Lance since he was given that time to settle in. He also had a general idea of how his team worked and he was glad that he got along with them. He learned their little quirks like how Rolo always claimed unnamed drinks and snacks in the fridge that was why Lance learned to slap on labels on his food. Plaxum had strange creative habits that she does throughout the day like fold up her legs on the chair while she rested her chin against her squid plushie while she drew. Nyma worked faster when she did traditional art than digital and she drank her coffee black in a temperature controlled tumbler that can hold up to half a liter. Lance swore Nyma was an alien. No one consumed that much coffee and lived to see another day.

Narti on the other hand, was a perfectionist. She was meticulous when it came to checking and even editing her own work. She would run the voice program to have it read what she wrote and whenever there was something that she wasn’t satisfied with, she would change it on the spot. She also had a talent for coming up with amazing write ups with just a few pieces of information about the general picture of the narrative.

Finally, Blaytz spearheaded and oversaw the projects and assignments given to the team. But what lance really admired about Blaytz was the way he led them; he saw everyone as equals and that earned their respect. If one fucked up, he would reprimand that team member and scold but he will also help them improve on the aspects that needed improvement.

There are times when the top brass, Allura, would drop in with a box of pizza for everyone. She was so down to earth and nice that Lance sometimes wondered why she wasn’t married. She was intelligent and gorgeous and everyone respected her.

Today was Lance’s work-from-home-Wednesday.

When his alarm went off, he sleepily padded to the bathroom, gargled, brushed his teeth, and then washed his face. He stared sleepily at his reflection and checked the slight stubble that was starting to grow. He made a mental note to shave later after he finished and turned in his work via email.

After the morning hygiene routine, Lance went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to see if he had any leftovers that he can heat up for breakfast. However, he groaned when he was greeting by a gaping, empty void when he opened it. He remembered that he ate the last burrito last night so Lance had to do some grocery shopping today too.

“Okay, so I guess I should buy some stuff to ensure my survival for the week, first.” Lance muttered with a sigh as he pulled on a shirt, some pants, and his old tennis shoes. He went to grab the keys from the fishbowl on his way out and exited the apartment.

When Lance stepped out, the door across the hall also opened.

A handsome man with longish white hair that was pulled up in a messy man-bun stepped out. His long sleeved dress shirt was folded up to the elbows and the first two buttons were undone to reveal the smooth dark tanned skin and the even darker love marks that peppered his throat.

This guy obviously came from work the night before and went ‘home’ to a place that wasn’t his.

Then, Keith appeared behind him looking all tousled from sleep and… well, a long night, but then their eyes met.

Lance’s first reaction was to fumble with his keys and lock his door. Behind him, he heard his neighbor’s conversation.

“Hey, Lotor, can you make it to my session tonight?” Keith asked a little bit softly; whether from sleepiness or the presence of emotion, Lance couldn’t tell.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” The man known as Lotor replied while he thumbed on his phone without any regard to Keith. “I’m flying home to London tonight.” Huh, explains the accent.

“Oh, what about in two weeks?”

“Keith, sweetheart,” Lance heard a sigh while he pocketed his keys. “I’ll let you know if I’m free. Work has been hectic lately. I’ll come by and watch you sing but I don’t have the time for it right now, alright?” Lotor’s tone of voice was soft but distant.

“Ah, yeah, okay.” Keith replied, equally aloof.

Lance didn’t know if he was imagining it, but he thought he heard disappointment in Keith’s tone. Steeling his gut and putting on the most neutral expression he can, he turned around. Without saying anything, he nodded at them in greeting. Lotor returned the greeting politely with a subtle nod while Keith suddenly averted his gaze but nodded, nonetheless. Lance didn’t linger and casually walked off to the stairwell where he can run down and beat Lotor to the lobby to avoid any awkward interactions.

As Lance ran down, his mind buzzed with questions; Is this Keith’s new boyfriend? What does he do for a living that this guy can’t even spare a little bit time for Keith? And about Keith’s session, Lance almost forgot that Keith was musically gifted and he was a really good singer too.

His heart tightened at the memory; Keith used to play his guitar and sing for him during rainy afternoons or warm summer mornings back then. Keith singing for him was one of the little things that made Lance fall in love day by day back then until Keith cut things off between them because he wasn’t fond of the idea of commitment.

It made Lance feel like he was just a conquest and that suave Armani probably was too.

Sighing, Lance quickened his pace to a near jog. He needed to shake this off his system because he was supposed to be over it seven years ago. He’s had other partners, although they mostly didn’t work out. But there’s someone out there for Lance and when they come along, Lance swore not to put them through what Keith put him through.

~

It was fortunate of Lance that the load he took home wasn’t much and he was able to finish at about three in the afternoon. He kicked his long legs back and the chair wheeled back. He groaned in satisfaction when his joints popped after he stretched.

He contemplated how he should reward himself for having completed his task early. Lance grabbed his phone from beside the keyboard and started to thumb through his inbox.

‘Hang out?’ He typed in quickly and sent it to both Pidge and Hunk.

‘Cool.’ Pidge was the first to reply. ‘I get out at 6.’

It wasn’t long for Hunk’s message to follow through; ‘I’ll be a lil late. Just text me where we’ll meet up and I’ll catch up.’

Lance smiled; he missed his best friends. Even if the three of them just hung out somewhere low profile or even crashed at home, he didn’t mind as long as the three of them were together.

Deciding to get ready, Lance headed to the bathroom to shower and to shave. After he dried off, went to his room and picked out a casual get-up for tonight in case they all decided to go out somewhere a bit nice. Lance combed his fingers through his damp hair to style it to the side and show off the twin etched lines on his undercut.

Lance heard his phone buzz from the bed and he dove for it, landing on the comforter with a soft plop.

It was a message from Pidge;

‘U cool with the Black Lion?’ it read. ‘Hunk wanted to try their dynamite ribs and I think there’s a live show on Wednesdays. We’ll meet u there.’

Oh. Great.

~

Pidge and Lance met up at the parking lot in front of the pub. Pidge got out of an Uber that dropped her off. She jogged up to Lance, her short pony tail bobbing up and down from where it was pulled up on top of her head.

She grinned at him and playfully shifted her gaze from side to side. “You got the goods?”

Lance snorted and reached inside his own pocket. He pulled out a pack of unopened Skittles and chucked it at Pidge who smoothly caught it with one hand.

“Yeah!” Pidge cheered while she tore the top of the pack off and popped a green one in her mouth. “Thanks, fam.”

“Aren’t you going to spoil your dinner like that?”

“Shut the fuck up, Lance, you’re not my mother.” Pidge rolled her eyes. “Besides, I’m tired from work and I need some sugar in my system.”

“But I _am_ the team mom.” Lance countered but Pidge just laughed.

“Nah, Hunk is the team mom. You’re the goofball.”

“Hey!”

It wasn’t long when a car pulled over to park in front of them and Hunk got out. “Guys, I’m sorry I’m late!”

“It’s alright, I just got here too.” Pidge smirked knowingly. “Besides, we all know that Shay comes first. Maybe pay for my desert and I can forgive you.”

“I’ll just make you desert, man.” Hunk shook his head. “But yeah, my lady needed some help so I had to drop by her place real quick.”

Lance stared at the neon sign of the pub. “Hey,” he told Pidge and Hunk who were trying to one up each other on who will sponsor the desert. “did you know that Keith works here?”

Pidge and Hunk glanced at each other and the look of confusion turned into a knowing sour look. They always had each other’s back and what Keith did to Lance back in college was something that left a bad impression on them.

“If you’re not comfortable, we can go somewhere else.” Hunk offered. “The ribs can wait, you come first, man.”

“Aw, bro.” Lance laughed but his friend’s concern has obviously left him touched. “It’s fine, I’ve actually went here with my co-workers last week and the guy’s working the bar on those days. And besides,” she shrugged. “It’s been years. I don’t think it’d be pretty immature if I kept a grudge. I mean, Keith’s just my neighbor now.”

Even so, Lance felt something stir inside him when he remembered the suave guy that exited Keith’s apartment that morning.

Who was that? Maybe Keith’s new man?

Or maybe Keith’s new victim?

Lance felt his gut churn but he reminded himself that whoever that man was, he didn’t care. He stopped caring years ago after he played with fire and got burned. So why did he feel strange?

“Lance?” Pidge asked. “Do you still want to go to the Black Lion or maybe we can hit the diner then the arcade instead?”

Shaking himself back into reality, Lance clung onto Pidge’s voice to force himself out of his out thoughts. “Yeah, come on. I can vouch for the ribs; they’re really good!”

The three of them got a booth on the opposite side of the stage. Hunk and pidge didn’t waste time in ordering while Lance scanned through the other sections of the menu card. He glanced at the stage and saw that it was already set up with a mic, a wooden stool and a guitar propped up on a standee. He tried not to think about this morning but the memory was stubborn.

“All these drinks look good.” He heard Hunk say and Lance jumped into the conversation.

“Yeah, they are.” He agreed. “I’ve tried a few from the bar. You should all try it too.”

“I hope your ex won’t poison us.” Pidge wondered when she craned her neck to glance at the bar. Lance followed the gesture and saw that there were two people working at the bar but none of them were Keith; the same guy with the half man bun but this time, his partner was a handsome looking guy with a white forelock and a distinguishable prosthetic arm. He was putting drinks up for the orders than came in from the customers with no trouble at all.

A waitress walked up to them with a notepad. She had long red hair that was braided down her back. She smiled at them; “Hi, I’m Florona and I’ll be your server for tonight. Are you ready to order?”

“Uh, yeah.” Hunk placed down the menu card and smiled up at her. “We’d like three plates of your dynamite ribs.”

“YAM FRIES!” Pidge piped in excitedly and held up her fingers. “Make them four, please!”

“Aw, you’re gonna claim two for yourself, are you?” Hunk accused but Pidge only grinned at him.

“Sure!” Florona chuckled at the optimism while she scribbled the orders then she turned to Lance. “And for you?”

“The onion ring basket for appetizers, please.” Lance replied.

“Sauce?”

“Honey garlic. Oh, and we’ll have the red iced tea.”

“Alright.” Florona scribbled the orders before she flipped the notebook close and placed it in her back pocket. “I’ll be right back with your order and oh,” she motioned at the stage. “you’re in for a show. The performer’s really good so I hope you guys have a great time.”

Lance just smiled and nodded. He watched Florona walk away before he leaned back and fished out his phone to scroll through his social media.

“Hm, they must be really proud of their performer.” Pidge said.

“I guess they are” Hunk said this time. “I hope it’s not some youtuber wannabe. A good performance adds to good ambiance.”

“I wonder who they are.”  Lance looked up from his phone, confused. “But hey,” a sly confident smile perked from Lance. “let’s not let this ruin the night. We’re here for the ribs, the drinks, and the quality time, right?”

They spent a good twenty minutes chatting it up and catching up on each other about how their week went. The three of them laughed and teased each other. Sympathized and mutually complained about deadlines and asshole bosses and co-workers. Then, the lights dimmed and only the spotlight that was directed at the stool on the stage grabbed the attention of most of the people in the bar.

“Oh. Holy. Shit.” Pidge breathed.

“What?” Hunk asked and followed Pidge’s gaze on the stage. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He frowned.

Lance, followed suit as well and he felt his heart drop to the floor. “What in the mother fuck…”

Keith walked up on the stage wearing a brown jacket whose sleeves were folded up to his elbows, a white shirt and a cuff on his left wrist. He took a seat on the stool after he grabbed his guitar from the stand and fished a pic from his pocket.

“Hey, what’s up?” he said into the mic. There was no reaction from the crowd and the merry white noise of conversation was the only reply. “I’m Keith. Thanks for coming in tonight.”

“Yeah, Keith!” Came a cheer from the bar from the guy with the white forelock but the audience seem to ignore Keith.

“Thanks, Shiro.” Keith smiled and threw in a nod towards the bar. He cleared his throat and placed the guitar on his lap. “So, anyway, here’s Wonderwall.”  And he started to strum the intro.

“Seriously?” Pidge rolled her eyes. “I hope he doesn’t butcher it.”

“Well, he’s not bad so far.” Hunk sipped his iced tea which Florona had brought in for them along with a basket of onion rings for appetizers. “What about the voice though?”

Keith opened his mouth and closed his eyes and he sang the first few verses. His voice was deep and cool like velvet.

“Hm, not bad, I guess.” Hunk shrugged. “At least his voice doesn’t reflect his douchebaggery, eh, Lance?”

Lance felt his throat tighten at the flurry of memories that passed through his mind. Keith strumming lazily on rainy afternoons while Lance is studying for midterms; Keith’s smooth voice whispering sweet nothings into his ear when he’s on top of him on steamy nights between the sheets; the soft songs that he hummed while Lance slowly fell asleep; Keith’s voice turning cold during that fateful day at the college football field when he left Lance.

“I think I need a drink.” Lance immediately stood up. “Do you guys want anything from the bar?” Pidge and Hunk glanced at each other then told Lance what they wanted. Lance nodded and gestured at the bar. “Be right back.”

Walking there, Lance sat on one of the stools. When one of the two bartenders gave him a small smile, Lance relayed his order to him. Keith continued to sing Wonderwall on the stage and Lance slowly turned to watch him, hoping that the dim lights would help hide him or that Keith doesn’t spot him in the crowd. Lance didn’t understand why he was reacting like a kid in denial. But the familiarity of Keith’s singing and the way it curled around him made him iffy and strange at the same time. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this. He’s left this behind and he’s moved on years ago. He’s dated other people and even managed to piece himself back together so why was he still feeling weird even after being neighbors with Keith’s for a couple of weeks now?

“Here you go.” The handsome guy with the white forelock slid a small tray with three glasses on it. Lance snapped out of his reverie and started to fumble for his wallet which he picked out from his pocket. The man’s brows scrunched over his dark eyes. “Are you okay, man?”

“Yeah.” Lance replied with a friendly smile. “I just had an exhausting day so half my mind is in the astral plane.” He joked and the man returned the smile.

“Yeah, I basically live in the astral plane but I’m glad you came out here to unwind. I hope you have a great time.”

“Yeah, I think I will since I’m out with my friends.” Lance slid some bills across the counter to pay for his tab. “Thanks, uh,…” Lance squinted at the guy’s name tag.

“Shiro.” The man smiled. “You can call me Shiro.”

“Thanks, Shiro.” Lance nodded and pulled the tray towards him. "I'm Lance."

Keith ended Wonderwall and he looked at the audience but no one clapped and the white noise of chatter carried on. He proceeded to strum and intro to the next song and Lance saw Shiro sigh. “I’m gonna throw back the question this time, man; are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Shiro replied and leaned on the counter, his forearms crossed. He motioned at the stage. “He’s pretty good, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Keith’s had always been talented in music.” Lance forced out and it sounded as if he was clearing his throat and he averted his eyes when Shiro’s dark ones shifted to him. Man, can this guy read other people’s minds? Either saw too much or Lance was an open book.

 “Oh?” Shiro appeared more interested now. “You guys know each other?”

Shit, he said too much. What if this guy was Keith’s lover or something? Sweet mother of god, just how many lovers did Keith have?

“Yeah.” What’s the point of lying? Lance had to play cool. “It’s actually a funny story; we uh, go way back in college and I bought a drink from him the last time I was here,” he laughed nervously and waved a hand in dismissal. “coincidentally, he’s also my neighbor in the apartment I moved into.”

Keith started to sing the first few lyrics of the song; Baby Blue Eyes by A Rocket to the Moon.

“Oh, _I see_.” Shiro watched him with intelligent eyes. Lance was paranoid that Shiro’s connected two and two if Keith has told him about their past. “I’m glad that my bar gained another patron, then.” He said after a smile. “And I’m glad Keith’s rekindled old friendships. I’m always worried that he doesn’t have many friends. The guy’s like my little brother, y’know?”

“Wait, _your_ bar?” Lance asked in disbelief but then even he was shocked that he felt relieved that Shiro and Keith were just good friends. Shiro nodded.

“It’s been my dream to start a place like this.” Shiro sighed and looked around. “My kid even came up with the name after her favorite stuffed animal.”

“Oh, wow.” Lance found himself relaxing. He took his drink from the tray; another mojito like the last time, and sipped. “That’s really great. I’m glad you were able to fulfil it and it’s really awesome that you even involve yourself with the serving work too.”

“Couldn’t ask for anything better.” Shiro’s smile softened his roguish features. When his fellow bartender called out to him for another order, Shiro nodded and said to Lance; “I gotta go get that. Enjoy your drink, Lance.” Then, he left.

Lance swiveled on the stool to face the stage to look at Keith and the moment he did, he saw sadness in those violet eyes. It’s not the kind that made it look that Keith didn’t love what he did; his skills with the guitar was proof of how hard he worked to perfect his craft. No, it was more because of the feeling of being invisible. No one was watching and no one even clapped when he finished Wonderwall which, in Lance’s opinion, was sung really well. And in addition to that, Armani guy from this morning didn’t even make time to watch Keith and support him.

A strange feeling poked at Lance. He tried to ignore it but it only got more annoying and a small voice whispered in his mind; _Look at him._

The feeling grew and Lance found himself being swayed. He stared at Keith and when the other let his eyes wander the oblivious crowd, their eyes met.

Lance felt his heart slam against his ribs when he was sucked into that familiar violet gaze. But when Keith smiled at him from the stage, the world stopped and before Lance knew it, he was smiling back. He raised his glass towards Keith in an unspoken gesture of support. What did Lance have to lose for supporting an old flame from college, right? And it wasn’t like Keith treated him poorly when they became neighbors. He was actually alright.

But then, just as the song reached its final verses, Keith did something unexpected that caught Lance off-guard; he changed the pronouns in the lyrics;

 

 _My eyes are no good, blind without him_  
The way he moves, I never doubt him  
When he talks, he somehow creeps into my dreams.

 

The final chords drifted into the air while Keith strummed and the song came to an end, leaving Lance breathless. He continued to get sucked in that he didn’t realize that he had put his drink down on the counter and had gotten up on his feet to clap.

Pidge and Hunk looked utterly confused from where they sat in their both but they reluctantly joined in Lance’s round of applause and that in turn, encouraged more and more claps from the crowd. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something.

Even Keith looked bewildered and when his eyes fell on Lance again who was the cause of all this, he smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, Lance.” He said softly into the mic.

Lance’s heart sang a silent song that made butterflies flutter in his stomach. He didn’t even realize that he was blushing. But then, he caught himself and swallowed it down with a gulp of his mojito before he nodded and walked back to join his friends.

Pidge and Hunk exchanged troubled looks while Shiro arched a single brow, a small but sly smile playing on his lips at the sight.

Well, this is going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahahahahaohgodiminlove.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Lion gets a surprise customer, Keith is the best uncle ever, and Lance overworked himself to a fever. 
> 
> Oh, and Shiro's kid is better than your kid, Janet.

Chapter 5

Whenever it was Keith’s days off, he sometimes offers to baby sit whenever Ezor was unavailable. It was during these days Shiro took over for Keith at the bar since he was the only other person who knew how to properly make the drinks.

This morning, Shiro had called Keith to let him know what time he can pick up Airiah from kindergarten then he asked if Keith had any ‘visitors’. In reply, the younger said no and that he was more than happy to hang out with the four year old today.

Airiah adored Keith; mostly because Keith helped Shiro raise her after her mother died from giving birth. And while Keith was dealing with his own problems and struggle with depression back then, he still helped Shiro in that trying time.

Shiro had been newly discharged from the army during that time due to the loss of his arm and he had been dealing with a lot of trauma from being fresh out of the battlefield. He was able to spend some time with his wife, Aiko, while she was pregnant with their baby girl. Shiro thought back then that he had a purpose at home despite his acquired disability but that purpose was stolen from him when the doctor walked out from the delivery room with both good news and bad.

Good news was that he had a healthy baby girl.

Bad news was that Aiko didn’t make it.

The sudden crash of rain against the windows snapped Shiro into reality. He found himself still as a statue with his left fingers hovering over the calculator while the metal one held a sales invoice of ingredients for the kitchen to use in the coming week. Shiro didn’t enjoy working with numbers and accounting for the bar’s expenses, but it was a necessary evil. He came in early that day after dropping Airiah off at school. It was only 9 AM and he won’t be coming home until late that night. Thunder clapped outside and the upturned tables and chairs were briefly illuminated by a web of lightning.

The bell on the door tinkled when it was opened and someone hurriedly stepped in.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said and placed down the invoice he was checking. “but we’re still closed.”

“My apologies,” a female voice. When Shiro looked up, he saw a woman with stark white hair that was wet and matted down from the rain. Her clothes were soaked and her makeup was trickling down the slopes of those sharp cheek bones. She looked like a wet puppy but my god, she was stunning. “I got caught in the rain. Do you mind if I stay in here while I call an uber?”

“N-Not at all, miss.” Shiro walked around the counter and hurried to turn over a chair to set it down by a single table. “Please, be my guest.”

“Thank you, sir.” The woman smiled at him. Her dark skin sheened wet with raindrops and Shiro immediately grabbed paper towels from the bar to give to her.  “Oh, I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing.” Shiro replied and he leaned against a vacant table with one arm planted on his waist. “By the way, what were you doing out in the rain, ma’am?”

“I was on my way to work.” She replied while she dabbed at her face with the paper towels. “My car is in the shop for its annual maintenance and I decided to commute to work today thinking that can beat the rain before it fell.” She laughed softly. “I rushed to the nearest establishment and here I am. I guess nature will always beat man.”

“Well, nature’s pissed at man for ruining it.” Shiro smiled and a pair of blue lilac eyes met his dark ones.

“That’s true.” She smiled. Then, she looked around. “Oh, what did I get myself into?”

“This place is called the Black Lion.” Shiro said with a tinge of pride and a bright grin. “It’s a local pub that serves good drinks and amazing food.” The pretty lady asked so Shiro might as well do some advertising on it. Everyone is a potential customer, after all.

“Oh, I’ve heard of this place from my staff!” Her eyes widened. “I’ve been thinking of coming here myself with them but there’s just so much work to be done.”

“If you ever find the time to escape work then I hope you can join your friends sometimes.” Shiro motioned at the bar. “Can I get you something hot to warm you up, miss?”

“I thought you were still closed for the day?” A silvery lock of damp hair fell out when she tilted her head in question.

“It’s alright. Something hot on a rainy day is good for the soul.”

The woman smiled and nodded. “Please.”

There was no trouble making a nice cup of coffee for the sudden visitor. Shiro thought that it was also to help out someone once in a while. Getting caught in the rain and running late for work were both really shitty things to happen and this lady was dressed all professionally for the corporate setting. In addition to that, she had been extremely polite so Shiro wanted to do a good deed for her.

She was pleasant company and Shiro found her to be an intelligent conversationalist as they exchanged topics about business. After Shiro told her that he owned the place, she beamed and said that she too, owned a business.

“Mhhm,” Allura inhaled the rich aroma of the coffee Shiro made for her. “this smells absolutely divine.” Carefully, she took a sip and hummed again. “Oh wow. I…wow.”

Shiro felt himself blush at her lack of words and sure enough, it was a compliment. “My own special brew. It’s not sold here since I just mostly make it at home. Do you like it?”

“I love it.” She smiled. She said nothing more as she enjoyed her coffee and Shiro headed to finish up going through the sales invoice. Shiro expected it to be awkward but the silence between them was actually comfortable.

Just as the woman finished her coffee, her phone vibrated, signaling that the uber was already waiting for her outside. Unfortunately, the rain still hasn’t stopped. Shiro walked up to her just as she got up. Then she pulled out her wallet and fished out a ten from her bag.

“Please, keep the change.”

But Shiro immediately shook his head. “Like I said, it’s not sold here.” He smiled. “So why pay for something that’s not in the menu? It’s alright.”

“You’re a clever one,” she paused and hesitated at first but then offered; “Uhm, I never got to ask for your name. I barged in here and you even made me some coffee but I never introduced myself.” The movement of her hand as it went up to press on her chest was elegant. “I’m Allura Altea. It’s pleasure to have had your company this morning, Mister…?” it was a hanging question.

“Oh, no, please don’t call me ‘mister’; I’m not that old.” Shiro chuckled. However, he started to wonder if he really did look older than his real age of thirty five. “Takashi Shirogane. Pleasure’s all mine.”

Automatically out of courtesy, Shiro held out his right hand to shake hers only to regret it later on when he saw the way she stared at his metal appendage. Flustered, he started to pull back but Allura immediately shook his hand in hers with a smile. Her grip was firm and enthusiastic; Shiro felt no reluctance, fear or repulsion.

“It’s nice to meet you, Takashi.” She said and Shiro felt something in him kick. Almost everyone he knew called him Shiro and there were some who called him by his first name before they, too, got used to calling him Shiro. But the way his first name rolled off Allura’s lips made something inside him stir. “I’ll be sure to come during business hours sometimes.”

Allura picked up her designer bag and slung the leather strap across her shoulder. “Thank you for the coffee. I loved it.”

“You’re welcome, Allura. It’s no trouble at all.”

With a final polite nod, Allura turned to head to the door. The bell tinkled again when it opened and closed, and Allura was gone.

Shiro went to the window to see if Allura got into the car safely before the uber drove away. Left alone in the dimness of the quiet bar with only the rhythm of the rain drops hitting the window, Shiro looked down to stare at his prosthetic.

And he wished that he used his left hand instead, not because he was ashamed of his prosthetic, but because he wondered what it would be like to feel Allura’s warm touch. Shiro sighed, shook his head and walked back to the bar to continue where he left off with the sales invoice.

~

At 2 PM, the bell echoed throughout Sunnyside Preschool. Keith stood at the foyer with other parents and guardians who waited for their kid to come running out. The doors burst open and a horde of screaming kids barged out. Keith felt neutral about kids; he liked his niece dash goddaughter and he would love his own kids to death if he was fortunate enough to settle down, but others kids are like screeching gremlins to him.

Keith doubted it; he believed that he didn’t deserve that kind of life, not with the way he was.

“Keef!” An excited scream. Keith looked up and grinned at the raven haired little girl with a disheveled pony tail that bounced on top of her head. Everything about Airiah was soft and she was a mirror image of her late mother but her eyes were dark and intense like Shiro’s. The girl also inherited her father’s kind and noble heart.

“What is up, Airiah my dude?” Keith bent to his hunches and held up a fist which Airiah bumped with hers. “Did you have a good day?”

“Uh-huh!” She grinned brightly. “Ms. Olia gave me a star, see?” She held out to show the sticker stamp on the back of her small hand.

“Wow, you’re really good.” Keith smirked, reaching to ruffle and mess up Airiah’s hair a bit. “Just like me.”

“No, you’re not good, Keef, you’re old!” The four year old stuck out her tongue at Keith, still having trouble pronouncing the ‘eith’ in her uncle’s name.

“Hm, is that so?” Keith feigned a frown. “Well, that’s too bad. I guess I can’t take you out for pizza and ice cream since I’m old.”

Airiah’s mouth fell. “N-No!! I mean, you’re not old, you heard wrong! You’re good looking!”

Keith snorted.

“Uncle Keef, please let’s go for pizza and ice cream! You’re not old, I didn’t say that!” she lied desperately.

“Then, who said that?”

“It’s uh…” Airiah shuffled on her feet and she stared at the Velcro straps of her black shoes. “it’s just your imaginimation.”

“You mean, my _imagination_?” Keith got up to his feet and took Airiah’s Space Explorers backpack.

The four year old nodded, her dark eyes wide and hopeful. “Yeah! So we should go for ice cream and pizza!”

Keith chuckled. This kid sure is a smartass. “Alright, let’s go.”

The drive to Vrepit Sal’s was pretty lively because Airiah never ran out of topics to talk about. They talked about school, then lions, then Space Explorers, then about her teacher Ms. Olia. Airiah kicked her short legs back and forth in the seat across the booth where she and Keith sat.

Keith idly sipped on his root beer float while he rested his cheek against his propped up hand. “Hey, dude, don’t get pizza sauce on your shirt, okay? Shiro told me to feed you healthy things. This is totally unauthorized.”

The girl pouted thoughtfully before she took a table napkin and tucked it behind her collar after she flapped it out. “The evidence speaks for itself, officer.” She muttered.

“Whoah, where did you pick that up?” Keith asked.

“Illun.”

“Who’s Illun?”

Airiah paused to shove a spoonful of banana split ice cream in her mouth then replied; “She’s the girl who sits beside me. She’s very quiet but she likes finger painting period. Her dad is a cop.”

“Ah, what about Illun’s mom?” Keith stirred his drink with his straw. He wasn’t interested in other people’s lives but he encouraged Airiah to open up about her friends. “Did Illun say what she does for a living?”

“No, Illun doesn’t have a mommy.” Airiah shook her head, that jet black pony tail waving from side to side. “She has another daddy.” She held out two fingers proudly to show Keith. “And her other daddy is a doctor. Illun says that her daddy met her other daddy when a bad man shot her daddy who is a cop and her doctor daddy took care of him and made him feel better.” She paused to take a sip of her juice. “And then Illun said they love each other very much that they wanted a baby so Mr. Policeman and Mr. Doctor wrote a letter to Santa Claus so he can help them adopt her.”

Keith smiled. He wanted to reach and smoosh Airiah’s soft and chubby cheeks but he knew that that annoyed her. “Well, that’s very nice of Santa to help them adopt your friend.”

“And she’s nice too!” Airiah beamed then she reached for her bag that was beside her and started to rummage through “She helped me color this!” she pulled out a piece of paper that was smeared with paint and crayons on the back. Keith was about to reach for the drawing but his goddaughter pulled it back suddenly.

“You have to promise that you won’t tell daddy about it, Keef.” She told him seriously. “This is a surprise.”

“I promise.” Keith nodded.

“Cross your heart?”

Keith drew an invisible cross over his chest then ran his fingers across his lips in a gesture to zip them before he threw away the invisible key. Airiah nodded in approval and handed over the piece of paper. It put a smile on Keith’s face; it was a child’s drawing. One of the people drawn was obviously Shiro because of the arm, the tuft of white hair, and the scar across the bridge of his nose. The smaller one was Airiah holding her dad’s metal arm. Behind them was a drawing of their house and the old oak tree with the tire swing beside it.

“This is really good, Airiah!” Keith praised. “I bet Shiro will love it!”

“You really think so?” Dark innocent eyes widened and Keith nodded.

“Yeah, Shiro knows art when he sees one.”

Airiah beamed toothily and continued to munch on her pizza. Keith settled back in after the girl stuffed the drawing back in her bag and he started to scroll through his phone.  “Oh. Oh!”

“What’s up?” Keith looked up from his phone.

“I made you something too!” Airiah started to rummage through her bag again and pulled out another drawing and excitedly handed it to Keith. “Here!”

The drawing made Keith’s heart swell. It was him, it had to be; Airiah made sure to put a lot of effort in drawing his mullet and he was holding a squiggly red guitar. He also wore his usual red shirt, black jacket and ankle high biker boots. His beat up car was beside him but Airiah drew rocket boosters on them. 

But then he noticed something; he wasn’t smiling. The drawing’s mouth was just a straight line.

“Hey, how come I don’t look happy here?”

Airiah fell silent and she looked down to avoid Keith’s eyes. She fiddled with the edge of the napkin tucked behind her collar. “Well, it’s because you always look unhappy. I mean, you smile sometimes but you’re always, I dunno… uhm, you look blank.”

_Empty._

“I’m…I’m sorry, Keef.” Airiah piped up and her voice quivered. “If you don’t like it, I can draw another one.”

Keith looked at her then back at the drawing. Then, he smiled and shook his head; “No, it looks great. And besides, cool guys don’t smile.” He winked at her. “But next time, could you put sunglasses on me and a big awesome explosion in the back?”

“I can also draw you a girlfriend so you can be one billion percent cooler like those guys in the movies daddy watches.”

“Uh…”

“What’s wrong?” The four year old tilted her head in confusion.

“Well, honey,” Keith reached back to awkwardly scratch the back of his head. Fuck, how do you explain something like this to a kid? 

“Not all boys like girls. Some boys like boys while some girls like girls. Some like both and some don’t like any at all.”

Airiah fell silent while she processed the information. “Okay, Keef. So which one are you?”

“I like boys.”

“Oh, so when you get married, it’s gonna be to another boy, right? Just like Illun’s dads?”

“Yup.”

“Okay!” Airiah beamed. “Then, when you get married to your boyfriend, I will draw you two together with sunglasses and a really cool explosion!”

“Deal.” Keith smirked. Heck, Keith can’t imagine himself in that situation. Lotor was a friend with benefits; that was it.

Then, another name popped out followed by a face and those blue, blue eyes. Keith frowned and shook his head; no, he had his chance and he ruined it. He had no right to even consider that person after the bullshit did.

He doesn’t deserve Lance. 

“Finish up, baby girl, we gotta get home so you can rest up then do your homework.”

Airiah scowled. “I thought you were cool, Keef.”

 

Keith sighed. “Tell you what; how about we play some Space Explorers after you finish your school work?”

“Which game?” Airiah narrowed her eyes. This girl knew her Space Explorers and she made Shiro buy her the DVD set for each season. Except the games, because Shiro said the she was too young to own a PS4. She only had a 3DS which she can play with for an hour before bed after she finished her homework.

“The Legendary Defenders game.” Keith wagged his eyebrows at her and the girl’s eyes widened.

“Seriously?!”

“What, you think I don’t have a PS4? I’m the cool uncle, after all.” He smirked and Airiah rolled her eyes.

“Fine. You promise?”

Keith nodded. “After your homework. Deal-o?” he jutted a hand forward and Airiah stared at it before she reached over to shake Keith’s hand to strike the deal.

“Deal!”

~

When Keith and Airiah stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Lance in front of Apartment 2A. He heard the jingle of keys as Lance fished them out of his bag. That was strange, Lance was home particularly early today.

Not that Keith was keeping track, that is.

“Hey, Lance, you’re home early.” Keith greeted when he walked up to him. Lance turned to look at them and Keith’s eyes widened; Fuck, Lance looked like hell. He was pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he was hunched over as if he was trying to tuck into himself for warmth. “Holy sh—“ Keith had to hold his tongue with the cuss words when he remembered that Airiah was present. “—Shitake mushrooms, man, are you okay?”

Lance arched an eyebrow. “I’m just not feeling well so I ditched work early.”

Then, they heard a small gasp.

“You’re wearing a Space Explorers shirt!” Airiah exclaimed as she looked up at Lance. “Do you watch it too?”

“Yeah, it’s my favorite.” Lance smiled tiredly at her. He bent low and leaned his hands on his knees to support himself and look at Airiah. “Who’s this pretty little lady, Keith?”

Keith was about to speak but Airiah cheerfully beat him to it; “My name is Airiah Shirogane, Black Paladin and future fighter pilot!” She stuck out her hand in offering for Lance to shake.

“Wow, you really got your introductions thought out, huh, kid?” Keith gave out a soft ‘heh’. “This here is my boss’s kid. She’s like my niece already since Shiro and I are old friends from high school but basically I’m this gremlin’s godfather.”

“Hey!” Airiah protested.

“Oh, yeah, Shiro did mention that he had a kid when I first met him during your set.” Lance wondered to himself and it was a good thing that he was distracted because Keith gaze turned soft at the memory of Lance smiling at him from the crowd which so much encouragement in it.

 “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day where the notorious Keith Kogane will be a responsible uncle.” Lance chuckled and looked at Airiah again. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Lance Delgado.” He looked at the small hand offered to him and shook his head. “I would love to shake your hand like the polite, and not to mention amazing gentleman that I am, but I’m sick with a bad cold right now and I don’t want you to catch it.”

“Oh,” Airiah pulled back her hand. “that’s okay. Hey, who’s your favorite character?”

“Akira, totally.”

Keith scoffed. “Are you joking?”

“He’s so grumpy!” Airiah giggled.

“No, he’s not!” Lance protested. “He’s a cool space samurai, okay? I love Akira and I will take a bullet for him.”

Keith quirked an eyebrow back at him. “Charles McClain is the lord and savior for the whole franchise and I will lay the whole damn universe at his feet if I have to.”

“No, Sven is best boy!” Airiah argued this time. “Black Paladin is the best! That’s why they’re the leader!”

“Okay, princess, let’s all settle that everyone is the best in their own way.” Lance offered then he paused. “Oh, I have something for you, Airiah.” Lance pulled off his pack but turned away first and covered his mouth when he sneezed. “’scuse me.” He muttered. Keith frowned.

Lance pulled out a small plastic baggie with a keychain charm inside. “This is for you.” He handed it to the girl. “Just wash your hands after incase some of my germs got on it.”

Airiah stared at the charm with wide glittering eyes. “Wow!!!”

“What is it?” Keith peered over.

“It’s a Space Explorer Legendary Voltron charm!” Airiah half screamed. “I haven’t seen this before!”

“That’s because this merch isn’t out for sale yet.” Lance winked. “But employees get first dibs.”

“Lance here works at the place that develops the Space Explorer games.” Keith said as he glanced at his neighbor however, it still bothered him that Lance looked like death on a stick.

“Really?!” Airiah squealed. “Really, really?!”

“Really.” Lance nodded. “My team is assigned to work on Akira’s character for the new game coming out next year.”

“What’s it gonna be about, Lance?” Airiah asked. Unfortunately, Lance shook his head and smiled apologetically.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but Lancey-Lance can’t say anything about it, I’ll get in trouble if I did. It’s a big secret.”

“Ooohh…” the girl hummed. “Okay, I can wait! Daddy always says that patience yields focus.”

“Good girl.” Lance straightened out to stand on his feet but then he suddenly turned away from them and blew out three consecutive sneezes. “Christ, what the hell?”

“Lance, I think you should go get some rest.” Keith said with a worried look. “Do you have a fever?”

“I don’t know, man.” Lance sighed and shouldered back his bag. “I haven’t taken my temperature yet and my hands are clammy so I can’t say for sure if I touch my forehead.”

He turned and opened the door to his apartment. “I’ll go hit the sack, guys.” He yawned, exhausted.

“Hey, Lance?”

“Yeah?” Lance turned to look at Keith. Airiah was too distracted by her new Voltron keychain to notice. “What’s up, Keith?”

“Do you,” Keith hesitated for a bit. “do you have medicine?”

“I’ll get some later.” Lance shrugged. “I’ll try to sleep this off.”

“That’s not going to...”

“Keith, I won’t die from a cold. Sheesh.” Lance muttered. He didn’t notice that his fever was already affecting his temper. “I’ll be fine.”

Lance waved at Airiah who thanked him again for the gift before he closed the door to his place. Sighing, Keith unlocked Apartment 2B and led Airiah inside who quickly rushed to the couch where she dropped her backpack and pulled out her notebook and her book so that she can finish early and play on Keith’s PS4.

Tired from the afternoon of watching over Airiah, Keith plopped down on the couch beside her and took out his phone. He scrolled through social media and then to his cryptid forums but decided that it didn’t interest him so he just laid his head back after he placed his phone beside him.

“Hey, Keef?” Airiah’s small voice interrupted his tired thought. Damn, he really was running low on sleep.

“Hm?” His eyes glanced down lazily from the side. “What’s up, squirt?”

Airiah looked focused on her task while she traced the broken lines in her alphabet text book that as supposed to help her practice how to write.

“Did you know that Charles and Akira got married in the last episode of Legendary Defenders?”

Keith’s mouth fell open in shock. “You spoiler!”

“Oops!” Airiah giggled. “Sorry, uncle Keef! I just remembered because Lance said that he loves Akira and you love Charles.”

“And what is that supposed to mean, hm?” Keith arched a brow at his goddaughter who just shrugged and continued tracing her line letters.

Keith sighed.

God, kids are weird.

~

Later that night after Shiro picked up a very sleepy Airiah, Keith headed out to the pharmacy to get some paracetamol and cold tablets. While he was going through the shelves, he saw a pack of sour patch kids and remembered that it was Lance’s favorite candy.

His heart kicked at the memory; Lance always used to ask him to buy sour patch kids whenever he went to the university’s grocery store. Keith shook his head and convinced himself that he was only trying to look out for Lance since they were neighbors and all.

Keith knew that was a lie. He was starting to care but that’s not going to be enough to actually get him a shot at a second chance. He thought about it while he walked home with one hand in his jacket pocket while the other carried the small plastic bag of medicine and candy. Keith couldn’t shake off that smile that almost made him forget the lyrics of the song he sang. He couldn’t shake off the memories that slammed back into him from a time that he wasted.

A relationship he ruined.

A heart that he broke due to his selfishness.

A person he hurt because he was too much of a coward to enter into a commitment.

And now, Lance was here again. Keith felt a hard pull towards a direction he had no right in taking but his heart ached. He wanted a second chance and make things right again but will Lance even give him that chance? Keith felt it and he saw it; Lance was guarded.

He wanted to tell the other that he’s a changed man with regret in his heart and the desire to make things right. But words aren’t going to cut it so Keith decided that he’ll _show_ Lance. And maybe, just maybe, he can convince him. By some damn miracle, Lance was back in his life and Keith wasn’t going to let the chance go. He’s going to take the initiative.

When he got back to the apartment, Keith stood like a statue in front of Lance’s door. He lifted a hand to knock but the quickly decided against it and pulled his hand back since Lance needed to sleep. Keith felt his face burn and he glared at the door before he gave up and sighed.

Keith briefly went back into his apartment, found a piece of paper and a pen and started to scribble. He walked back out again and hung the plastic bag on Lance’s doorknob.

Finally, Keith slipped in the piece of paper before he went back in his apartment.

****

**_Hope you feel better soon. You don’t owe me anything. It’s just a good deed from a friend._ **

**_If you need anything, just knock or call me._ **

**_1023-xxx-xxxx_ **

**_-KK_ **

****

The first few steps are going to be the hardest ones to take but Keith was going to try.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Illun's (That Blade who was in Keith's team in the Kral Zera ep in S5, is a Thulaz child. SHOUT OUT TO THE THULAZ SHIPPERS OUT THERE! <3 )  
> Yes, I broke the 4th wall. 
> 
> Yes, it's Keith's version of "Call me" with concern of course.
> 
> Yes, Shallura is in the game, everyone! 
> 
> Yes, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Thank you to everyone who left reviews in the last chapter. Please let me know what you think of the update or the story so far! 
> 
> Oh, and by they way, yes. Foreshadowing :)


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast for two...

Chapter 6

Lance’s alarm went off the following day and he forced his eyes open. His head throbbed and his forehead was coated with cold sweat. He sat up and groaned when he realized that he fell asleep in his clothes, shoes included. He was feeling a little better compared to how he was last night but there was still a slight fever. The sleep helped but that wasn’t enough; he needed to rest more.

Maybe it was his fault that he got sick since he was ‘enjoying’ his work too much and neglecting himself. He reached for his phone and checked the time; 4:30 AM. Such an unholy hour to get up but Lance crashed in pretty early the night before that’s why sleep wasn’t going to come anytime soon for him. He sat up and thumbed in a reminder to send a text blast to his team that he wasn’t going to make it today. After that, he tossed his phone on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch with a sigh.

There wasn’t any food at the fridge for sure because Lance went straight home last night without even stopping at the store to get something to eat or even medicine. Living alone sure was difficult when you’re sick and Lance even felt the loneliness of being by himself. He sighed and got up to his feet; the world spun a little and he felt like the floor was about to give in beneath him. Lance sneezed once and sniffed miserably with a groan before he carefully made his way to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Throwing in a fresh shirt and a thick hoodie, Lance went to the door to leave.

He was surprised by the plastic bag that hung on his doorknob. It had everything he needed to buy from the pharmacy and a little note as well that sent him reeling internally and his heart rammed against his ribs.

Why was Keith helping him? Why was he feeling like this?

Lance thought of returning the medicine to Keith because he felt like he was imposing or maybe, he can take the stuff and pay Keith later that day. Conflict stirred inside him and he growled under his breath at the way he was reacting towards this. Lance kept telling himself that it was as the note said; help from a friend.

This also means that Lance owed Keith one now and this was probably going to escalate to the “hey, neighbor, I’ll be away for the weekend. Could you keep an eye on my place?” level. Then what? The “Hey, neighbor! I baked you a pie! Happy fourth of July!”

“Come on, Lance,” he muttered to himself tiredly while he locked his door with the plastic bag hooked around his wrist. “You’re overthinking again. You need to chill. You’re dying of a fever; you don’t need the extra anxiety to go with i—“

The neighboring door opened.

Shit.

“Lance?” Keith was dressed like he was going to head out too.

“Oh, hey, Keith.” Lance turned around and looked at his neighbor. He lifted the plastic bag. “You didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“I wanted to.” Keith shrugged and he averted his gaze. “I mean, if you don’t want it, you can just chuck it in the trash.”

“Pft, that’s just wasteful.” Lance rolled his eyes. “It cost money you earned, man; I’m not going to throw it away. I mean, have you seen the economy? This isn’t the time to pretend to be a privileged millennial.”

Keith smiled and he made a sound as if he was holding back a chuckle and Lance felt something inside him stir.

“I’ll pay you back.”

But Keith shook his head. “If you’re still so hung up on that, consider it as a welcome gift.” He paused to give Lance a one-over. “You going out at 4:45 AM?” he glanced at his watch.

“Yeah, I’m going to get some food. I haven’t had anything since lunch yesterday.” Lance replied as he shoved his keys into his pants pocket. “I was going to get some meds too but you uh… already took care of that for me.”

“H-Hey, I’m going out to get food too!” Keith blurted out. “You wanna go with me? I’m heading to Sal’s.”

“What’s Sal’s?” Lance asked.

“What’s Sa—“ Keith repeated in disbelief. “Only the best diner around here! Come on, let’s get some food. I’ll drive.”

But Lance still looked unsure. He felt like he was imposing but he was hungry and it might be dangerous to walk around a sleepy city at 4 in the morning.

“Yeah, sure.” Lance nodded. “I need to get something to eat before I can drink the fever pill.”

The car ride to the 24-hour diner was uneventful and their conversation was pretty casual between them; their jobs, their friends, people from college, even Airiah’s excitement about Space Explorers but they still avoided the big-ass elephant in the room… or car.

Sal’s Diner had that retro 50’s feel and they even had one of those vintage jukeboxes from that era. There were a couple of retro arcades games on one side that were restored back to functionality. When Keith and Lance got there, there were actually a generous amount of patrons that occupied the booths even if it was early that morning. They slid into a booth and a waitress approached them with two menu cards.

“I’ll have uhhh…” Keith muttered while he scanned the card. “The breakfast platter.” He paused to glance at Lance who in turn, looked at the tiny pictures instead, being too lightheaded to read anything right now.

“The classic pancake tower.” He replied as the waitress scribbled on her small notepad.

“Anything else?” she asked.

Lance handed his menu card back to her and said, without missing a single beat from having committed it into memory: “2 coffees, please. Oh, but bring only one cup of creamer.”

Keith stiffened and stared at Lance while the waitress collected his menu card and walked away to send their orders to the kitchen. Lance leaned back on the cushion of the booth, sniffed miserably and started to scroll through his phone.

“You remembered.” Keith said and Lance looked up;

“Remembered what?”

“That I’m lactose intolerant.” Keith smiled and that was when Lance realized that he placed the order the way he used to when he and Keith went out to the campus diner. Back in the day when the two of them were…

“Oh.” Lance laughed nervously and he flushed. “But you are, right? I mean, aren’t you anymore? The last time I checked, it doesn’t really go away like magic.”

“Yeah.” Keith leaned back. “It’s nice of you to remember though.” Silence fell between them and Lance busied himself with his phone while Keith started to fold the paper napkins into little squares. “Hey, how have you been?”

“My fever is out to kill me.” Lance sniffed. “But otherwise, I’m good.”

“No, I mean, you know…” Keith cleared his throat. “After college and all?”

Lance wasn’t actually expecting that kind of question: “Oh, uh, I went back to Cuba to live there for a while with my brother Luis to help take care of our abuelito. I had an IT job in a small company there and a part time job in a farm during Saturdays. When he passed away, I came back here.”

“Oh, man. I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Lance chuckled. “My grandpa? He was really old and sick; we’d rather have him pass on than to suffer.”  But then, he noticed the way Keith bit his lower lip as if he caught himself about to say something he wasn’t supposed to but Lance didn’t want to step over boundaries and call it out so instead, he asked; “How’s Krolia doing, by the way?”

“We keep in touch.” Keith replied. “Mom comes over to stay with me sometimes when her work lands her here.” He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table to ground himself from asking the real questions; was Lance dating someone right now?

No, no, that was too fast and too wrong to ask right now. Keith could lose the only chance he might have before he was even sure he had one.

“Oh, when’s your niece going to come and visit again? I got some new charms for her.” Lance suddenly asked which distracted Keith from his reverie. He thought about it and shrugged;

“Depends when Shiro needs me to babysit again.”

“She’s a pretty cool kid. Good tastes too.”

“Who do you think she took after?” Keith leaned back and smiled smugly.

“Shiro or her mom.” Lance threw an equally challenging smile.

“Shiro’s wife… uh, isn’t here anymore.”

Lance immediately clamped his mouth shut, guilty that he might have ventured in territory that’s way too personal. “Oh, sorry.” Keith maneuvered the conversation back. “I help Shiro take care of Airiah when he needs me to. The kid said that she wanted me to teach her to play the guitar too so I’ll get to that when she gets a little older.”

Keith gave a small smile and gazed out the widow beside them. The sun was starting to break through the horizon and the other shops were starting to open for the day. There were more joggers now and people who were out on their early morning errands.

“I never knew you liked kids.”

Keith looked at Lance. “Oh?”

That made Lance avert his eyes this time and he struggled to keep his voice even. “It didn’t exactly fit your image from when I knew you.” And that statement was followed by a chuckle.

Underneath the table, Keith felt his fingers become cold and clammy with sweat. He couldn’t read the tone behind Lance’s words but maybe it wasn’t so safe to assume. So Keith answered sincerely;

“People change, Lance.”

They stared at each other briefly but it felt like a stream of forever until they were interrupted by the server who brought a tray of their food.

“Here’s your order, enjoy!”

Lance muttered a quick and startled thank you and helped take their plates from the tray. The two of them ate in silence with the occasional talk about their old friends from college and other trivial things like the new season of Space Explorers that just dropped. On the way home, they drove in silence which strangely felt comfortable. Neither of them said much since Lance was starting to lull in and out of sleep until they reached the apartment building’s designated parking.

“Hey, Lance, wake up.” Keith gently shook the other’s shoulder which stirred Lance into sickly wakefulness.

“Oh, we’re here already.” Lance yawned and sniffed afterwards. “That was fast; were you speeding?”

“Nope, you passed out when we got in the car slept all the way home.”

The two of them got out of the car and Keith was watchful of Lance to make sure he doesn’t faint. It was ridiculous, him being like a guardian and all over his neighbor but he knew that Lance often fainted whenever he had a fever. It was one of the things that he knew well from their past.

“Let’s go inside.” Keith offered to which Lance replied;

“Sound good, bud.”

That last bit kind of sat wrong with Keith but he didn’t try to think too much into it. He didn’t have the right to any other name for Lance after what he did.

The elevator ride was just as quiet as they got up to their floor and when they reached their doors which were across each other’s, Keith walked Lance to his and watched the other fumble for his keys. The lock clicked once Lance turned it with the numb to signal that their time together for that morning was up and Keith couldn’t help but fell disappointed.

“Thanks for breakfast, Keith.” Lance threw a small smile. “That’s some welcome package you threw.”

“It’s nothing.” Keith shrugged, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie. “You go and get some rest.”

Lance nodded and pushed his door open and the last thing he saw before he closed it were the way Keith’s eyes looked at him.

_Click_

Lance softly thumped his forehead against the door and closed his eyes while he listened to the footsteps and the jingling keys from the other side. He tried to erase the image of those clear violet eyes boring into his and the memories that it stirred within him in wakefulness; memories of hurt and bliss that he spent so much time kicking under the goddamn carpet.

“No, Lance.” He muttered to himself. “You’re over him. It’s all over so _stop it_.”

 

_“People change, Lance.”_

 


End file.
